Art Nouveau & Maria Rosa: A Comparative Analysis
Art Nouveau
Origins
Born in the late 19th century, Art Nouveau coincided with the launch of the journal “L’Avenç”. In 1891, the magazine began a campaign for spelling reform, connecting with artists who shared a critical and innovative vision. This magazine attracted the children of the bourgeoisie, some of whom rebelled against their parents’ values.
The Fight
- Against a stagnant political and social system.
- Against the imposed Castilian culture in Catalonia.
- Against the conformism of Catalan culture, yearning for a glorious past.
The Renaixença movement was seen as an obstacle to creating a prestigious culture.
Objective
To create a national culture that transcends narrow localism and opens Catalonia to new European ideas, fostering a truly cosmopolitan and Catalan culture.
Consequences
Confrontation between artist and society (artist-bourgeois) (father-son): The modernist artist feels that higher values are beyond bourgeois materialism. Art is not valued monetarily, leading to rejection by both the bourgeois and the artist. This clash creates two tensions:
- Art vs. a mercantilist society that undervalues art.
- Artist vs. the bourgeoisie, which possesses economic stability but lacks political power.
The artist emerges battered from this confrontation, becoming an outcast with a lifestyle contrary to the established class.
Features
Modernist literature revolves around the confrontation between:
- Individual vs. the masses
- Artist vs. society
- Mobility vs. immobility
- Progress vs. tradition
- Sensitivity vs. indifference
Literature should awaken a slumbering nation and propel it towards Europe.
Literary Creation
Modernism aligned Catalan culture with new European trends:
- Parnassianism: The pursuit of beauty.
- Symbolism: Emphasis on artificiality over naturalness.
- Naturalism in rural novels: Focus on the individual’s struggle for self-realization against society.
Example: Solitud
Solitud follows a female character’s fight for self-realization. Despite facing hardship and even rape, her rebellion and decision to leave her husband represent a triumph. Her confrontation with nature and the unknown highlights the individual’s salvation through rebellion.
Solitud: Analysis
Story
Solitud is an initiatory journey with external (Mila’s walk towards the church) and internal (her self-discovery) dimensions.
Theme
The novel explores a woman’s search for individuality and her conflict with social structures. The book’s closed structure presents the thematic content at two points, showing the character’s evolution.
Structure
The novel is divided into three parts: introduction (chapters 1-6), climax (chapters 7-14), and resolution (chapters 15-18). Some chapters are linked thematically, contrasting elements like dark/light and festival preparations/consequences.
Narrative Viewpoint
The narrator uses third-person, combining direct and indirect styles. Subjectivity is central, with Mila’s emotions and feelings shaping the narrative. Other characters influence her, but the story revolves around her perspective.
Temporality
The narrative covers spring to autumn (beginning of winter) in Mila’s life. Time references mark the progression of chapters, while mental flashbacks offer glimpses into her past.
Narrative Techniques
The narrator’s alleged objectivism shifts to omniscience as Mila’s perspective becomes dominant. Two narrative planes—the narrator and Mila—alternate and interconnect.
Language and Style
The novel’s language blends vivid descriptions, poetic lyricism, and touches of roughness. The use of dialect adds to the richness and authenticity of Mila’s experience.
Characters
Mila is the only round character, with psychological complexity and dynamism. Other characters, like the Pastor, Matias, and Ànima, are more static and represent different moral values. Mila’s relationships with these characters contribute to her development.
The Pastor
The Pastor symbolizes the awakened world and higher consciousness. He guides Mila on her initiatory journey, contrasting with the numbness of the masses. His language is inspired and spontaneous, reflecting his connection to nature.
Ànima
Ànima represents the anti-human world of instinct. His physical and moral characteristics are animalistic, symbolizing destructive capacity. He serves as a catalyst for tragedy, raping Mila and murdering the Pastor.
Mila
Mila embodies the modernist theme of self-discovery. Her journey involves overcoming fear, ignorance, and societal constraints. Her experiences, including sexual frustration and rape, shape her evolution towards autonomy.
Matias
Matias’s lack of communication and sexual indifference contribute to Mila’s frustration. His physical and psychological traits symbolize impotence and inertia.
Arnau
Arnau represents sincere love and sexual potency. Mila’s rejection of him, despite her desire for him, suggests a complex interplay of personal and societal factors.
Dreams, Signs, and Symbols
- Mountain: Represents both inaccessibility and spiritual elevation.
- Peak of Light: Symbolizes the Pastor’s guidance and Mila’s transition from darkness to light.
- Santa Ponça: Represents revulsion and Mila’s disgust with Matias and Ànima.
- The Gallery and the Breaking Balls: Symbolize rape and the potential for fertilization and new beginnings.
- Other symbols: Screw (pleasure), rabbit (freedom), sea (imagination).
Modernist Aspects
- Exploration of the individual’s relationship with the world.
- Elitist conception of the artist.
- Focus on the human soul and tragic aspects of life.
- Subjective perspective and symbolic language.
Maria Rosa
Maria Rosa, a 19th-century photograph play by Àngel Guimerà, explores themes of love, drama, and social conflict. Maria Rosa, a working-class woman, faces hardship after her husband, Andreu, is arrested for murder. Marçal desires Maria Rosa, but she remains loyal to Andreu even after his death. Eventually, Maria Rosa marries Marçal, who reveals on their wedding night that he was the true murderer. The play delves into the love triangle between Marçal, Andreu, and Maria Rosa, exploring themes of sexual desire, social conditions, and the status of women.
Symbolism
The play utilizes animal symbolism, such as the serpent (temptation), wolf (destructive love), fox (devil), and tiger (cruelty). Other symbols include the key (freedom), wine (blood and passion), and the title itself, referencing both the Virgin Mary and the red rose of love.
Conclusion
Maria Rosa combines drama, social elements, and passionate relationships within a love triangle, employing erotic stereotypes, symbols, and metaphors to explore complex themes of love, betrayal, and social injustice.